Alain de Botton: The next Mark Zuckerberg will be a philosopher

I caught up with philosopher and author Alain de Botton at the Cannes Lions, shortly after his presentation. Among other interesting assertions, de Botton sees the future in companies finding ways to sell things that are higher up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Instead of pandering to base desires, successful companies (and advertising) will find ways to monetize the higher values and goals of humans. See more in the below video.

Thomas Crampton was a correspondent for the
International Herald Tribune and The New York Times for more than a decade, reporting from five continents, writing a column on Asia and covering Asian politics, economics and culture. Currently based in Hong Kong, he writes here about China, the Internet and New Media seen from Asia, while also advising companies on digital communication strategies. For more information click here...